Frozen. Heard of it?

Frances has seen the movie twice and listened to the book oh-so-many times.  So she needed an outfit.

Mimi (and Etsy) to the rescue with an Elsa-inspired get-up!

Oh, it was hard waiting for this package to arrive.  But arrive it did, much to Big Girl's delight.  Little Girl needed an outfit, too, so she got a hand-me-down tutu from Frances.

And peace reigned in the land.

Another Mother's Day in Somerville

For the past three or four Mother's Days, we've participated, as best as we were able, in a 5k in Somerville with our friends, the Ahouses.  And so, this Mother's Day, we obeyed habit, with a wee bit of grumbling.

The day starts with a fun run for the kids.  I wish we'd gotten pictures of Frances.  Before the race, she hitched up her arms and glared at the finish line.  When the race started, she took off like a crazed chicken.  I was so proud I thought my heart would burst.  I just love seeing her give it her all.

Here are the three bigs, post-race.  That's Frances, Sophia and Theo.

Next year, Chandler can participate in the fun run.  This year, she surveyed the passing scene from her stroller.

As usual, Dave Ahouse pushed the girls.  That's about one hundred pounds of humanity and stroller.

He still finished before I did, but I'm gaining on him.  Maybe when the girls are seven...Do they make double jogging strollers big enough for seven year olds?

Michele and me, post-race:

Then we hobbled back to the Ahouses' for brunch.  That was excellent until I made the mistake of lying down on the living room rug.  Then all the kids decided  they should lie on top of me.  Then I felt like an old woman.

Unfortunately, I didn't "train" at all for this run, yet I still completed it relatively painlessly.  This tells me it's time to get back to regular exercise and enter a longer race.  So unfortunate.

Mother's Day, almost

This is one of those long, long posts that proves I'm a lousy editor, so get comfortable and my apologies.

Mother's Day around here means lilacs in the Arnold Arboretum.  One of the very good reasons to live in Jamaica Plain, in my humble opinion, is the lilacs in the Arnold Arboretum, like so:

The magnolias aren't half bad either.

Most people visit on Mother's Day, but I've heard it's a mad house, so we went Mother's Day Eve for a dinner picnic.

And then we goofed around a bit more.

Mauling sister...

Mauling lilacs...

Ah-ha!  A good family photo, perhaps our first as a family of four.

Fifty-Four Months of Preschooler Frances

All on her lonesome, Frances decided it was time for a real haircut.  (There was some worry about her hair getting too long for her to use the toilet gracefully.  The kid's mind is very busy.  I tried to reassure her, to no avail.)  So off we went to Miss Laura's.

After some fleeting trepidation, she thoroughly enjoyed herself.

The results were stupendous.  Her hair seems much thicker and she doesn't look like a waif half as often.

Fifty-Four Months Fun Fact:

• Frances, the reader:  Frances's teacher Clarissa pulled me aside and told me Frances was making great strides in reading.  I wasn't consciously worried about this - the kid's only four - but reading is one of those miracles, like walking and speaking, that are hard to imagine with the first kid.  I was so proud when Clarissa told me.  I might have shed a tear or two.

Fifteen Months of Toddler Chandler

My mom has a great photo of my sister Jocelyn at about age two, on a beach in Maine.  It's a completely idyllic scene, except, perhaps, that she's helping herself to some negligent adult's beer.

Poor Chandler has to make do with an empty ginger ale can, fished from the recycling.

Poor Chandler.

Fifteen Months Fun Facts

• Language:  Chandler woofed for the first time!  She roars at the lion in Dear Zoo, by Rod Campbell.  She'll wave if I say "bye-bye."  And will happily call out "Eye!", meaning "Bye!", at bedtime.  So some language progress.
• Teeth: Lots and lots of points coming through.  I can't tell if it's four or six teeth coming through.
• Favorite book: Definitely Dear Zoo.
• Sleep: Iffy, very iffy.

It's that time again...

Does everyone's kids do this?  My kids seem to go through a phase of wearing my clothes.  Only, they're so little and uncoordinated when they go through this phase that they just wear my clothes around their necks.  I remember one day in particular, Frances wore my pajama top as a scarf all day.  Chandler favors my tights.

I try very hard to only find it terribly cute and not to get annoyed at finding my tights strewn about the house over and over.  I'm a lot more successful at this in the morning.  Less so at bed time.

Hang on to your hat!

Auntie Lindsay and Cousin Zoe came to visit.  Auntie Lindsay has a thing for aquariums, so guess where we went?

The little kid was totally civilized and easy to mesmerize.  The two bigs were like two mad monkeys.  Pictures are limited because it's hard to capture two mad monkeys on film.  I've never had such a fast trip to the aquarium.

After observing fish, we went to Legal Seafood and ate some.  At least the adults did.  The wretched children had french fries.  The adults may have had some drinks, as well, to fortify themselves for the afternoon.

Then ice cream and street performers at Faneuil Hall, naturally.

We let Chandler get in on the act, for once.

Then there may have been some collapsing at home.  The monkeys were turned loose on Mark.

Persevere, Mark.  Persevere.